The World’s Fare – In Patella

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Instagram Post 5/13/2018

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If you’re not from Spain, you probably think of paella as Spain’s national dish; if you do hail from Spain, you know it’s the heart and soul of Valencia. Not merely a rice dish, it requires know-how, special equipment, and the passion to do it right, and the folks from In Patella score points for all three. Specialists in authentic paella catering, they reinforced their mission to dispel myths about what paella is and isn’t by dishing up this yummy chicken and rabbit paella at April’s World’s Fare.
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I’m keeping my fingers crossed 🤞 for another World’s Fare next year! Can I get an “Amen”?
 
 

The World’s Fare – Bangad & Bougie

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Instagram Post 5/12/2018

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In the Ilocano language of the Philippines, bangad means “bad” in the sense of a show of courage and Bangad & Bougie’s modern Filipino fare lived up to the name. In addition to their chapulines (grasshoppers), gusanos (mezcal worms) and durian challenges, B&B offered some fine, less daunting food at April’s World’s Fare in Queens.
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1) Here’s a trio of treats, each served up on a chunk of chicharrón: Tocino Spam al Pastor, Pork Belly Sisig, and Black Cod Sisig – and each one was wonderful.
2) Perhaps it was a little tricky to tease out which dish was which in the trio tasting, but I have no complaints; it enabled me to try a little of everything!
 
 

The World’s Fare – Forward Roots

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Instagram Post 5/11/2018

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Forward Roots bought us two top notch entries at April’s World’s Fare event:
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1) Chilled buckwheat bibim noodles with fresh vegetables and kimchi, and
2) A tteokbokki 떡볶이 sampler bowl featuring fingers of Korean chewy rice sticks, boiled then fried for crispness and served up two ways (love that sweet, spicy gochujang sauce!), a flap of fish cake and a pair of kimchi fritters in a spicy aioli sauce. I should have gone back for more!
 
 

The World’s Fare – Coney Shack

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Instagram Post 5/10/2018

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Coney Shack was one of the thrilling attractions at April’s World’s Fare event. They featured their inventive Southeast Asian fusion hotdogs along with creative tacos like Garlic Lemongrass Chicken, Vietnamese Caramelized Pork, Five Spice Calamari and Crunchy Tofu. Shown here is their Beer Battered Crunchy Fish Taco: deep fried Southeast Asian basa plus cabbage, cilantro, scallion, and red onion with lemongrass aioli and toasted sesame seeds. So good!
 
 

The World’s Fare – Avli

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Instagram Post 5/9/2018

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🇬🇷 At last month’s World’s Fare in Queens, Avli, the “Little Greek Kitchen” in West Hempstead, brought out a number of specials like Yiayia’s Yiouvetsi, a saucy orzo and veal dish that tasted like something your Greek grandma used to lovingly prepare, but it was the grilled octopus 🐙 shown here that reached out to me. Mixed with red onion, seasoned with EVOO and red wine vinegar, and sprinkled with a hit of Greek oregano, the tender octopus was delicious. No wonder they called it “a neighborhood favorite!”
 
 

The World’s Fare – Dumplings

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Instagram Post 5/8/2018

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Pretty much everyone around the world loves dumplings so it’s no surprise that they were well represented at last month’s World’s Fare in Queens. Three examples:

🇸🇰 Baba’s Pierogies (Slovak style) came through with their jalapeño and Yukon potato blend – a great combo.

🇬🇪 Georgian khinkali with beef, lamb and herbs from Marani. Despite the resemblance, these are definitely NOT soup dumplings. Just grab one by its topknot and bite into its savory filling.

🇨🇳 Dumpling Galaxy’s perfect crispy, tender, succulent lamb dumplings from Northern China. Delicious!
 
 

The World’s Fare – Wafa’s Express

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Instagram Post 5/7/2018

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Here’s another World’s Fare delight, this time from Wafa’s Express, 812 Grand St, Brooklyn. I like it when there’s a brick-and-mortar restaurant that anchors a festival vendor because it means we can indulge in their goodies pretty much any time we want to. Wafa’s features Lebanese cuisine, represented here by mujaddara and falafel.
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Mujaddara is a combination of bulgur wheat and lentils, but the caramelized onions on top are as important to the dish as the other components, not merely a garnish, and serve to make it something memorable. Those are crunchy turnips pickled in beet juice coddling the mujaddara.
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The falafel, artfully drizzled with tahini and hot sauce, were delicious as well and yes, I fell for their falafel!
 
 

The World’s Fare – Don Ceviche

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Instagram Post 5/6/2018

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More from this past weekend’s memorable World’s Fare. Don Ceviche’s fish is always fresh and their leche de tigre is perfect. The ceviche offerings included pescado (fish), shrimp, and mixed (shown here) served with plump Peruvian corn, crunchy roasted corn, red onion, and a squeeze of sweet potato purée. Always a treat!
 
 

The World’s Fare – D’Abruzzo

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Instagram Post 5/4/2018

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In case you missed it, the First Place Winner in the savory division at The World’s Fare last weekend was D’Abruzzo for their tender, juicy Arrosticini. Chunks of lamb and fat in a perfectly balanced ratio needed no marinade or additional seasoning as they were grilled to perfection over a furnacell’, a specially designed trough filled with blazing charcoal.
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Served up on skewers (second photo), they were easy to appreciate on their own, but the Lamb Sammy was heaven: arrosticini, stracchino cheese, house made fig jam, olio Santo, arugula and red onion on a crisp ciabatta was all anyone could ask for. And if you missed them at The World’s Fare, you can find them this summer at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn. Don’t miss it!
 
 

The World’s Fare – Chiktay

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Instagram Post 5/3/2018

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“Chictay” read the sign. The word was unfamiliar to me so naturally I was compelled to try the dish, and it was delicious. The salad of herbaceous shredded smoked herring served with crudités and crackers disappeared in no time and since I didn’t buy an extra portion to take home, I realized that I needed to hunt down a recipe for domestic execution. I learned that chiktay, Kreyol for the French chiquetaille from the word déchiqueter, to shred, is commonly made from smoked herring (aran so) or salt cod (morue) so now I have two kitchen challenges ahead.
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The chiktay aran so was served under the banner of Abundance Food – Manmi Dju Dju, a Brooklyn based company that makes Haitian seasonings and marinades, at The World’s Fare in Queens this past weekend and was a perfect example of lesser known (to some!) ethnic food deserving of more recognition. Smokin’!